Arsenal's injury woes: Here are 13 Gunners who have been plagued by injuries this season
Arsenal’s injury woes took another turn for the worse on Thursday after it was announced Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Debuchy will both be sidelined for another three months.
Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at the Gunners players who have been seriously affected by injuries so far this season.
Olivier Giroud (above)
The striker broke his leg in the second game of the season against Everton and while the Frenchman returned sooner than expected, he was out for three months and unable to play again until November 22.
Mesut Ozil
Ozil was found to have a ligament tear in his knee while on international duty with Germany in early October and the Germany midfielder missed 13 league games before returning off the bench against Stoke last Sunday.
Theo Walcott
A knee injury meant Walcott made his first league appearance against Burnley on November 1 but his return was short-lived as a groin strain then kept the winger out for a further seven weeks. Walcott is on the comeback trail and started in the FA Cup against Hull on January 4.
Jack Wilshere
Wilshere suffered a minor knee problem earlier in the season but an ankle injury against Manchester United on November 22 proved more serious. The midfielder has not played since and is expected to be out for at least another month.
Mikel Arteta
Arteta has completed only three league matches this season. The midfielder came off with a calf injury during the Gunners’ Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund in November before suffering a subsequent ankle problem which will keep him out for another three months.
Mathieu Debuchy
Debuchy was out for three months after undergoing surgery on an Achilles injury he sustained in September and the defender is likely to be sidelined for a similar period of time again after it was confirmed a shoulder injury would need an operation.
Laurent Koscielny
An Achilles injury has continued to cause Koscielny trouble this season. The influential centre back missed five league games in October and November, and another four in December, exposing Arsenal’s shortage of options at the back.
Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey’s season so far has been disrupted by a hamstring problem which first occurred in September and then forced the midfielder to miss the entire Christmas schedule.
Kieran Gibbs
Gibbs missed three games at the start of the season with a hamstring injury and more recently has been struggling with a minor heel problem.
Nacho Monreal
The full-back suffered a back injury that saw him sidelined for three league matches between September and October.
Wojciech Szczesny
Szczesny was absent for a fortnight at the start of December with a hip problem.
Danny Welbeck
Welbeck has missed Arsenal’s last three matches with a thigh injury and is not expected to be fit in time for the visit to Manchester City on Sunday.
Abou Diaby
Diaby’s fitness woes have continued this season. A knee injury means the midfielder is yet to feature in the current campaign.
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